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The 25Th Annual Theoretical Roman Archaeology Conference

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The 25Th Annual Theoretical Roman Archaeology Conference The 25th Annual Theoretical Roman Archaeology Conference University of Leicester, UK Friday 27th - Sunday 29th March 2015 Programme and Abstracts Society for the Promotion Barbican Research Leicestershire of Roman Studies Associates Archaeological & Historical Society School of Archaeology & Ancient History, University of Leicester TRAC 25 - Welcome Welcome Welcome to the 25th anniversary of the Theoretical Roman Archaeological Conference at the University of Leicester! TRAC began in 1991 at the University of Newcastle with about 90 delegates from the UK, USA, the Netherlands, and Germany. Over the course of two days, 18 papers were given in a single-session format, and fruitful debate and discussion ensured that what was originally conceived as a one-off event became a regular series. From the outset TRAC was University of Leicester delegates at RAC/TRAC 2014 in Reading unorthodox, radical, and highly critical, yet distinctly inclusive and egalitarian. Several participants of those early conferences now hold prominent academic positions at universities across the USA, UK, and Europe (including the University of Leicester). When TRAC began, the conference founder Eleanor Scott noted a “fierce resistance” to theory in Roman archaeology. However, over the past 25 years TRAC has continued to fight against this, contributing to the progressive integration of theory into the wider field. During this time TRAC has grown in both size and scope, and has now become a truly international operation, with conferences held across the UK, as well as abroad in Amsterdam, Ann Arbor, and Frankfurt. The TRAC Standing Committee continues to work for the promotion of theory in Roman archaeology, ensuring continuity between annual conferences and TRAC Proceedings publications, but also developing new initiatives that continue to honour the aims, objectives, and spirit of TRAC’s earliest years while adapting to current challenges and fighting off theoretical stagnation. This will be the third time that the University of Leicester has hosted the conference (1996, 2003, 2015), and the School of Archaeology and Ancient History continues to be involved with TRAC’s advancement, routinely sending large delegations to every conference. Given this involvement, the School is particularly pleased to host this special 25th anniversary edition of TRAC. To celebrate this occasion, we have put together an exciting schedule of academic and social events coupled with commemorative conference packs for each delegate. We hope you enjoy! Sincerely, The 2015 TRAC Local Organising Committee Matthew J. Mandich (Chair), Jane L. Ainsworth, Carla A. Brain, Thomas J. Derrick, Sergio Gonzalez Sanchez, Ian J. Marshman (Vice-Chairperson TRAC Standing Committee), Giacomo Savani, Daniel P. Van Helden, Anna Walas, Eleonora Zampieri 2 TRAC 25 - Contents Contents Detailed Programme ..................................................................................................................................... 5 Conference Location Maps ....................................................................................................................... 13 Key Information ............................................................................................................................................ 15 Registration ............................................................................................................................................... 15 Tea, Coffee, and Lunches on Saturday and Sunday .................................................................... 15 Bookstalls ................................................................................................................................................... 15 Internet Access ......................................................................................................................................... 15 Tweeting ..................................................................................................................................................... 15 Transport .................................................................................................................................................... 15 Key Events ...................................................................................................................................................... 16 Friday Excursion ...................................................................................................................................... 16 Friday Evening Opening Proceedings and Keynote Address ................................................. 16 Friday Evening Wine Reception ........................................................................................................ 16 Poster Session ........................................................................................................................................... 16 Saturday Lunch – AGM .......................................................................................................................... 16 Saturday Evening Conference Dinner ............................................................................................. 16 Saturday Night TRAC Party ................................................................................................................. 16 Sunday Lunch – Lightning Round ..................................................................................................... 16 Sunday Evening Closing Proceedings .............................................................................................. 16 The Sponsoring Organisations ................................................................................................................ 17 Session Sponsors .......................................................................................................................................... 18 TRAC Bursaries ............................................................................................................................................. 19 Excursions ....................................................................................................................................................... 20 Keynote Address .......................................................................................................................................... 22 Session and Paper Abstracts .................................................................................................................... 23 Charmed, I'm Sure: Roman Magic - Old Theory, New Approaches ...................................... 23 Framing Views, Constructing Experiences, and Shaping Identities. Reflections on the Potential of Current Approaches to Roman Public Architecture .......................................... 27 Socio-Corporeal Practices in the Provinces .................................................................................. 32 Theorising Space and Material Culture in Late Antiquity ....................................................... 36 The Growth of Rome: Scale, Cost, and Extent ............................................................................... 40 Interdisciplinary Approaches to Roman Artefacts ..................................................................... 44 3 TRAC 25 - Contents Contextualising Coins, Assembling Contexts, and Interrogating Agency .......................... 48 Nobilia opera? Re-staging Greek Artworks in Roman Contexts. New Approaches and Perspectives .............................................................................................................................................. 52 Socks & Sandals: Historical Fiction as Archaeological Technique? ..................................... 56 General Session 1: Funerals, Landscapes, and Material Culture ........................................... 59 Camp and the City: Defining Military/Civil Spheres in the Roman East ............................ 63 Integrating Environmental and Theoretical Roman Archaeology ....................................... 67 General Session 2: Climate, Art, and Religious Spaces .............................................................. 71 4 Detailed Programme Friday 27th March 11.00 – 18.00 Conference Registration - Bennett Building, Upper Foyer 12.15 – 16.30 Optional conference trip to the Harborough Museum and Burrough Hill Opening proceedings in the Peter Williams Lecture Theatre, Fielding Johnson South Wing 18.15 – 20.00 Welcome: Lin Foxhall, Head of School of Archaeology and Ancient History 5 Keynote Address: Dr Andrew Gardner (UCL) - Debating Roman Imperialism: Critique, Construct, Repeat? Wine reception at Jewry Wall Museum, 156-160 Saint Nicholas Circle, Leicester, LE1 4LB following (Transport will be provided to venue) Saturday 28th March – morning Bennett Building, University of Leicester 08.30 Registration opens – Upper Foyer Lecture Room 5 Lecture Theatre 1 Lecture Theatre 2 Charmed, I’m Sure: Roman Magic – Old Framing Views, Constructing Experiences, Socio-Corporeal Practices in the Provinces Theory, New Approaches and Shaping Identities. Reflections on the Potential of Current Approaches to Roman Public Architecture 09.00 Distraught, Drained, Devoured, or 09.00 Experiencing Public Space Through 09.00 Bathing as a Roman: socio-cultural Damned? The Importance of Individual Light, Materiality, and Tectonics: New implications of private baths in Roman Creativity in Roman Cursing - Stuart Modes of Thinking About the Aesthetics
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